This easy no bake sugar free cheesecake has a silky-smooth, creamy filling and a buttery almond flour crust. It's a low carb cheesecake recipe the whole family is going to love - in fact, you'd never guess it's sugar free, gluten free and keto. My kids both asked for seconds!
My friends, this cheesecake is so easy and so delicious at the same time that it deserves a place in the Hall of Fame for sugar-free desserts. The texture is just so creamy and it has a wonderful fresh flavor.
I have quite a few sugar free cheesecake recipes on my website already. Amongst my favourites for summer are this sugar free strawberry cheesecake and this low carb lemon cheesecake. In winter I'll crave this epic keto chocolate cheesecake, my Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake and of course keto cheesecake brownies.
I felt I needed to include a classic low carb cheesecake in my repertoire. One that tastes wonderful all on its own, but can be customised with different toppings, from fruit and berries to caramel or sugar-free chocolate (see a list of ideas at the end of the post!).
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Baked VS No Bake Cheesecake
I love a classic New York-style baked cheesecake. But admittedly they require a little more attention and care. Baked cheesecakes contain eggs to help them set. And if you don't get it right, the top can crack easily.
First of all, you have to line the outside of your pan with foil. Then you must put your pan into a larger pan half-filled with water - a water bath. Also, you must take care that you don't over-cook it. The center should be ALMOST set, but must be still jiggly.
And lastly, you should never cool it too fast. Why? Because the sudden temperature change can cause a crack in the filling at the very end. It's a minefield for a novice baker!
This no bake sugar free cheesecake, on the other hand, is a BREEZE. Instead of eggs we are using whipped cream to help it firm up. No risk of cracks or sunken middles. No bake means it's totally FAILSAFE. Easy-peasy. No waiting until the oven is hot. It's mix, cool, enjoy!
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
STEP 1
Get your ingredients ready! You'll need almond flour or ground almonds, coconut flour, melted unsalted butter, powdered erythritol and a pinch of salt for the base.
For the filling, measure out room temperature cream cheese or mascarpone, lemon juice, vanilla extract and heavy cream / double cream.
STEP 2
Place all the dry base ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to form a flakey crumb.
STEP 3
Grease a 7-inch non-stick loose-bottom baking tin or a springform pan with a little melted butter.
Then, press the base mix into the bottom with your fingers. Smooth with the back of the spoon to make the edges nice and neat.
STEP 4
In a clean mixing bowl, add the full-fat cream cheese, powdered erythritol, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Mix with an electric mixer to combine, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your palate with optional liquid stevia.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thick (but donโt over whisk so it goes super stiff).
STEP 5
Fold the cream through the cream cheese with a spatula to combine.
STEP 6
Spoon the filling on top of the base and smooth the top off with a silicone spatula.
Cover with plastic wrap and place the sugar free cheesecake in the fridge to fully set, about 6 - 8 hours, or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer until set.
Expert Tip
I left my cake in the fridge overnight because I was taking the pictures the next morning. I then popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes before adding the topping. This made it very firm, but not frozen. This simple trick makes the cake very easy to slice!
Low Carb Cheesecake Toppingย
For the topping, add the heavy cream to a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric whisk until thick, but still fluid, not super stiff.
Run a sharp knife along the inside of the cake tin to release the cake before you open the springform or remove the tin.
Top with whipped cream, smoothing with a spatula for pillowy ripples and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries. Option to dust with a little powdered sweetener for prettiness.
Serve and enjoy!!
Sugar Free Cheesecake Crust Options
My low carb, gluten-free crust is so yummy that you won't miss the graham crackers you'd use in a traditional cheesecake at all. However, I always get questions on how to substitute ingredients, so I have summed up all crust variations I can think of:
Almond flour crust. If you don't want to use coconut flour, omit it and use 1 ยฝ cup or 150 grams of almond flour in total.
Coconut flour crust. I know some of my readers are allergic to almond flour. In this case, use ยฝ cup / 60g of coconut flour to make the crust. You need less coconut flour because it absorbs more liquid than almond flour.
Use other nuts. You can replace the almond flour with other nut flours! Ground pecans or walnuts would work well. If you want to steer away from nuts altogether, you could also consider using sunflower seed meal. Replace these options 1:1 with the almond flour.
Dairy-free crust. To make the crust dairy free, replace the butter with the same amount of coconut oil or ghee.
No crust. Yes, even this is an option! You actually don't need the crust at all. If you omit it, be sure to line the bottom of the cake tin with parchment paper so you can remove the base easily.
Keto Cheesecake Fillingย
It's possible to use either cream cheese or mascarpone for the filling. Mascarpone will make the end result a little richer. You could also replace half of the cream cheese with sour cream.
The heavy cream is non-negotiable, as it helps keep the filling firm.
I recommend using room-temperature cream cheese as it will blend easier and there's no issue with lumps forming.
The great thing about this recipe is that you don't need to add gelatin for the cake to set. This only becomes necessary once you add additional ingredients that contain liquid, such as lemon juice or fruit.
This cheesecake is simple and simply delicious. Incidentally, the filling all on its own would also make a fabulous keto cheesecake fluff. Simply mix, fill into individual jars, cool and enjoy!
Toppings
Purists will enjoy this cheesecake without toppings. I have added whipped cream and a mix of fresh berries plus lemon zest. Here are more topping ideas:
- - Blueberries or blackberries
- - sugar free lemon curd
- - melted sugar free chocolate
- - raspberry coulis (mix mashed raspberries with a little powdered sweetener)
- - keto caramel sauce
- - sugar free blueberry jam
FAQs
In most sugar free desserts it's fine to use granulated erythritol, such as in cakes or cookies. For any recipe that has a silky-smooth finish though we MUST use powdered erythritol.
The reason is that erythritol does not melt into liquids as regular sugar does. And who likes a grainy cheesecake filling, right?
You can use pure erythritol or an erythritol/stevia or erythritol / monkfruit mix or Swerve.
If you don't have powdered erythritol to hand, you can powder it yourself in a coffee grinder or in a high-speed blender.
You could also use xylitol or Splenda in this sugar free cheesecake recipe, which I know is still popular in the diabetic community. With Splenda, you MUST measure in cups and not in weight. It's lighter than erythritol and if you'd measure it in grams you would use WAY too much.
You can also use allulose or Bocha Sweet for the filling.
A slice of this sugar free cheesecake without topping has only 2.8 grams of net carbs. If you include the optional berries and additional whipped cream on top, this increases to 3.8 grams of net carbs.
So in case you are wondering "Is sugar-free cheesecake keto?" - the answer is a resounding YES. It's perfect for anyone on a keto diet.
You see, it's easy to make a keto cheesecake recipe. You only have to change two ingredients - the flour and the sugar - and replace them with nut flour and a sweetener such as erythritol.
The rest of the ingredients are already naturally low in carbs and sugar. Cream cheese and heavy cream, which you need for the filling, are regulars in keto desserts!
Storage
The most important thing is to keep cheesecake cool! Store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months.
Ideally, freeze without toppings. I like to freeze individual slices, which I wrap in clingfilm and then in aluminium foil once they are frozen. That way, they don't lose their shape.
Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight or defrost on the kitchen counter for 4 hours. Individual slices thaw in 1-2 hours.
More Sugar Free Cheesecake Recipes
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Recipe
No Bake Sugar Free Cheesecake
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
BASE
- ยพ cup / 75g almond flour or ground almonds
- ยผ cup / 30g coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- Pinch of salt
- ยผ / 57g cup butter melted
FILLING
- 1.5 cups / 360g cream cheese or mascarpone room temperature
- โ cup / 107g powdered erythritol
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup / 240ml heavy cream / double cream
- 5 - 10 drops liquid stevia optional - if you have a sweet tooth!
TOPPING (optional)
- ยพ cup / 180g heavy cream / double cream
- ยฝ cup / 75g strawberries halved or quartered
- โ cup / 40g raspberries
Instructions
BASE
- Place all the dry base ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to form a flakey crumb.
- Grease a 7 inch non-stick loose bottom baking tin with a little melted butter.
- Press the base mix into the bottom and smooth with the back of the spoon to get the edges nice and neat.
FILLING
- In a clean mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered erythritol, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer to combine, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your palate with optional liquid stevia.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thick (but donโt over whisk so it goes super stiff).
- Fold the cream through the cream cheese with a spatula to combine.
- Spoon the filling on top of the base and smooth the top off with a silicone spatula.
- Place in the fridge to fully set, about 6 - 8 hours, or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer until set. I actually left mine in the fridge overnight, then popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes. This way it was nice and firm for slicing, but not frozen.
TOPPING
- Add ยพ cup heavy cream to a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric whisk until thick, but still soft, not super stiff.
- Remove the cheesecake from the tin and top with whipped cream, smoothing with a spatula for pillowy ripples and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries. Option to dust with a little powdered erythritol.
Gillian Day
Thank you for low sugar recipe. Look forward to making it.
jaye
Why do you not cook the base slightly? I find it tastes better and is a bit more crunchy!
Katrin Nรผrnberger
You can definitely do that - I have done it in several of my other no-bake recipes. You can even just brown the nut flour in a frying pan. Quicker, and gives the same flavour.
Micah
I was surprised not to see gelatine in here -
Usually find it in cold
Set cheesecakes. Iโll have to give this a go
Jd
Can you clarify the nutritional information per serving? What are the serving sizes?
Katrin Nรผrnberger
I cut the cake into 12 slices. The nutrition is calculated per slice. Hope that helps!
Steph Aspel
SUPERIOR Recipe! NO ONE, Not ONE person realized it was sugar free and low carb! I made an amazing Berry compote to put on top with Strawberries and Blueberries and OMG.. This is my new GO TO Cheesecake recipe for sure!!!
Colleen
The ultimate cheesecake, you cannot improve on perfection. Thank you for sharing Katrin.
Dee
Hi can I leave out the cream totally and just use cream cheese.
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Hi Dee, I don't recommend it. This would just not taste very good.
Sarah in CA
I made this as a parfait layered with blueberries and strawberries. Perfect for my anniversary.
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Happy anniversary and thanks for sharing this tweak. It sounds delicious.
Michelle
Hi!
Whatโs the difference between powdered sweetener and powdered erythritol?
Thank you
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Powdered erythritol is a type of powdered sweetener. Often, erythritol is part of a sweetener blend. Brands combine erythritol with either monk fruit or stevia to minimise the cooling sensation you can feel with erythritol. Other popular sweeteners are allulose or xylitol.
Jeanne Rickard
Can we other sweetener combinations that you mention here that also have monk fruit?
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Of course. Any 1:1 sweetener works.
Krista Lopez
Uhm... YEAH! I just made this and it is delicious. I did not add the optional liquid stevia and it was perfect for me. For crust: I toasted walnuts and chopped them fine, added the butter and TBSP of swerve conf. sugar. MMMM mmmm MMMM.
THANK YOU!